


How Not to Break Up

by LadyBrettAshley



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: 1st degree burn, Alcohol, Angst, Blow Jobs, Break Up, Burns, Couch Sex, Cunnilingus, F/M, HEA, Happily Ever After, Ice foreplay, M/M, Make up sex, Marriage Proposal, Post-Break Up, Praise Kink, Rey's just clumsy, Smut, it's not bad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:48:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27029113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyBrettAshley/pseuds/LadyBrettAshley
Summary: Nothing means more to Leia than her Annual Pumpkin Carving extravaganza.That’s why Ben asks Rey to keep their recent breakup a secret until after the party.After a carving-related accident, Ben comes to her aid and it turns out... they may not have to tell anyone they broke up at all.-Contribution to the Reylo Readers & Writers Spooktacular Collection-
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico, Kylo Ren/Rey/Ben Solo, Leia Organa/Han Solo, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey & Ben Solo, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 51
Kudos: 283
Collections: Reylo Readers & Writers - The Spooktacular Collection





	How Not to Break Up

**Author's Note:**

> This is my contribution to Reylo Readers & Writers Spooktacular Collection!

Rey entered the home of her ex-boyfriend’s parents with caution. She had never been more nervous stepping into the Organa-Solo chateau and felt as though her anxiety sat dense on her face, engulfing her features like a mask.

The foyer and living room had been decorated for Fall- pumpkins, leaves, and hues of orange and brown swirled around the bannisters, covered the surfaces, and adorned the walls. Leia always did a lovely job decorating her home for the appropriate season and Autumn was her _favorite_. 

“Rey!” Leia exclaimed, pulling her into a hug, and kissing her on the cheek. “You look adorable- very Halloween-y!” Rey smiled, looking down at the black cat embroidered on her sweater. “Where is Ben?”

“Oh…” Rey fumbled. “He’s coming along. He was right behind me...”

Leia didn’t have time to question her further as Ben walked through the front door. She immediately turned to her son and pulled him into her arms. Rey swallowed and looked at her feet. 

When Ben picked her up at their apartment that morning, it had been the first time she’d seen him since he ended their relationship a week ago. 

Clenching her jaw until her teeth hurt, she watched the exchange between her ex-boyfriend and the woman she’d always thought would become her mother-in-law. Now, Rey couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever see Leia again after today. The thought physically hurt her.

_“Rey, how many times do I have to tell you, you have to unplug the toaster after you’re done,” Ben said, yanking the cord out of the wall._

_“Shoot, I’m sorry, I was in such a rush this morning-”_

_“You’re always in a rush, you’re always leaving stuff out, leaving your shoes in the middle of the floor, leaving wet clothes in the washing machine…”_

_“Whoa, okay, I’m sorry, I don’t do these things on purpose,” she said defensively._

_  
_ _“But you do them, and I specifically remind you not to, and you do them again and again. It’s like you don’t listen to me.”_

_“It has nothing to do with not listening to you, I just forget, okay? I’ve got a lot going on at work right now with the conference coming up and everything else.”_

_“What conference?” Ben asked._

_“Seems like you’re the one who doesn’t listen to me! I’ve been telling you for weeks that I’ve had to single handedly plan everyone’s travel for the year end meeting coming up and it’s been absolutely insane. I just-” She looked up toward the ceiling._

_“Can you not roll your eyes at me please?”_

_“I did not roll my eyes at you!”_

_“Yes, you did, Rey, I watched you do it. I heard the condescension in your eye roll.”_

_“You heard my eye roll?”_

_“Yes, that’s how big it was.”_

_“Jesus Christ, Ben.”_

Rey inhaled deeply through her nose and exhaled out her mouth before looking up, her eyes meeting his. He’d already been looking at her over his mother’s shoulder. He looked smaller than usual, somehow. The dark bags under his eyes told her he hadn’t been sleeping. 

She knew the feeling.

His gaze remained on her as he pulled away from the hug and walked over. Standing in front of her, he whispered her name. The front door opened again and Rey had never been more thankful for an interruption. 

Jumping away from him quickly, Rey ran into the arms of her best friend as she walked through the door. “Hi Rey,” Rose laughed, steadying herself against the forceful hug. She held onto the hug a moment too long. “You good?” 

“As lovely as this greeting is,” Rose’s fiance started. “Can we continue it inside? Because these cases of beer are heavy.”

Ben immediately jumped into action, taking one of the cases from Hux and greeting them both. When Rose stood up on her tiptoes to hug Ben, a quiet rage seared through Rey’s body- if she only knew…

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re here!” Leia exclaimed. “It’s just like when you guys were in college and you used to come home for fall break.”

“Mom, you say that every year,” Ben said.

“We wouldn’t miss your pumpkin carving party for anything, Leia,” Rose said, smiling. 

Rey stuck by Rose’s side as they all gathered in the kitchen, standing around the island to catch up. Staring at the ice maker on the refrigerator, Rey remained impeccably silent, nodding along with the conversation and failing to add anything. Ben popped the cap off of a pumpkin beer and handed it to her. After quietly thanking him, she took a small sip, and found an immediate interest in the corner of the bottle’s label that had started to peel back. She dug her fingernail beneath it until it hurt, the sharp edge of the label burrowing in the sensitive skin under her nail. 

Rose and Hux chatted with Leia about wedding plans, and Rey wished she could be anywhere else. It was too new, and it was unfair what he had asked of her. However, she was the one who agreed, deciding it would be easier to not share the details of their breakup on his mother’s favorite excuse to throw a party without any of her stuffy friends in attendance. 

Leia adored Ben and Rey as a couple and the news would surely crush her.

If Rey had to guess, she figured Ben asked her to keep it quiet because he knew his mother would _kill_ him for breaking Rey’s heart. While Rey knew Ben wasn’t the only one at fault for their relationship’s demise, _he_ was the one who left. 

And if Rey was being honest, she agreed to his plan so she wouldn’t have to speak the words out loud. That the man she dreamed of marrying one day no longer had the energy to deal with her. Saying it meant it was official. Saying it meant he wasn’t coming home.

Every day that week, when she returned home from work, she hoped to find his car parked in its spot. Each time she heard jingling in the hallway, she prayed he was inserting his key into their lock. Whenever her phone pinged her with a text notification, she glanced at it in record time, keeping her cell volume on loud for the first time in years. 

She peeled back more of the label, pushing the corner deeper beneath her nail.

The front door opened again and Rey could hear Finn and Poe shouting their hellos as they entered. Leia vacated the kitchen to greet the new guests and Rey’s gaze fell to Ben’s left hand where it rested on the countertop. Studying his fingers, she longed for the way they used to cup her face before kissing her, the way they used to touch her. His hands were always so warm. Even if she hadn’t been holding a chilled beer, hers felt like ice.

As if on autopilot, Rey hugged both Poe and Finn, giving them quick pecks on the cheek as a greeting. She returned to her station shortly thereafter, picking up her beer bottle again and feeling for the edge of the label.

“Hey hey, everybody,” Ben’s father said as he emerged from outside. “Ben, good to see ya,” he greeted, patting his son on the back. “Rey, looking lovely as ever!” Han gave her a one-armed hug and pointed at Ben. Jokingly, he said, “what are you still doing with this guy?” 

Rey laughed politely and shrugged before pushing the corner of the label so deep, she was certain she drew blood. Thankfully, Han moved on to greet their other friends and Rey shot a look at Ben as he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. 

“Good gourd, I’m excited about my carving idea this year,” Poe said, causing Finn to roll his eyes.

“Well!” Leia started, clapping her hands. “Now that everyone is here, should we get started with the carving? I’ve got everything set up outside. You all have your own table and tools...” Her voice trailed off as she stepped onto the back deck.

One by one, everyone followed behind her out the double French doors and Ben grabbed Rey’s arm gently, holding her back. Rey pulled her arm from his grasp as though he’d burned her and looked up at him. 

His hand was _so_ warm.

“Are you okay?” he asked, looking into her eyes.

“I’m fine,” Rey replied. 

“Rey, I really appreciate you doing this for me.”

“I’m not,” she said simply. “I’m doing it for Leia.”

Ben nodded as they walked outside. 

_“Damn it, Rey! I can’t do this anymore!” Ben yelled._

_“You can’t do what anymore?” she yelled back._

_He pointed between them. “This... this- this- this incessant arguing. We fight about everything, and you don’t listen to me… I… we don’t listen to each other! It’s exhausting!” Rey stared at him; she blinked three times in rapid succession. “Aren’t you sick of it?”_

_“Yes,” she admitted, tears welling at her lower lash line. “But-”_

_“But what, Rey? I’m so tired. We’re just never on the same page and it’s literally draining me. It’s killing me,” Ben said, his voice much sadder now. Much softer. “Work is stressful enough without having to come home and do this every night.”_

_“But I love you,” she said, her voice shaking as she raised both hands to wipe the tears from either side of her face._

_Ben sighed. “I know, it’s just…” He brought his hand to the back of his neck, rubbing it slowly as he looked down. “Maybe we-”_

_“Ben, don’t,” she warned him. Her voice betrayed her as she was barely able to whisper, “please.”_

_He looked up at her sadly and she could barely see his eyes hidden behind a sheen of glass tears. His bottom lip quivered, and she felt a chill rush through her body. Rey’s hands started to shake seemingly of their own accord, her entire body pumping with fear and adrenaline, her teeth started to chatter as she stared at him, waiting for him to break her._

_“Maybe we should take some time apart,” he said, his voice cracking._

_“No,” she said, and she wanted to step toward him but she couldn’t locate the muscles required to make herself move. Legs trembling where she stood, she found the strength to at least argue back. “No, I don’t… we can figure it out. We can… we can…” She was in distress, and she hated that. Desperate for a solution, she wracked her brain trying to think of anything that would make him stay. “We can figure this out. We can, Ben. We-”_

_She cried through her words, her own sobs clouding her judgement and slurring her words. She didn’t have a suggestion, she didn’t know how to fix it. Ben was the one who fixed things around the house, he was always the one who picked up after them; not this time._

_“Rey-”_

_Closing her eyes, more hot tears spilled over her bottom lashes, soaking her cheeks, falling into the crevices on the sides of her nose and mouth. They turned to ice almost immediately, shivers now decimating every inch of her body. Without opening her eyes she asked, “Is this it? Are you breaking up with me?”_

_Ben’s silence answered for him. Squeezing her eyes shut as tightly as possible, she nodded and looked down. She knew the answer to her question._

_The front door opened and closed a moment later._

Leia set them all up at tables in the backyard like she did every year. Last Halloween, she had the couples work together as a team on one pumpkin. While Rose and Hux failed miserably, Ben and Rey worked together flawlessly, with Rey’s design, and Ben’s execution, their pumpkin looked like it could win a contest, or at the very least, make the front page of ideas on Pinterest.

She had seven tables set up- one for each of them, minus Han, because he always got too frustrated and gave up half-way through. He and Poe usually wound up sitting on the porch and watching everyone else, tipping an Oktoberfest back and heckling the others. Poe was usually the first one done, and always thought he should win an award for that.

Rey decided the best thing for her to do would be to focus on her task at hand. The more involved she was with her pumpkin, the less she would think about Ben at the table next to her, and the fact that he would be dropping her off at the apartment later, and then _leaving_. Taking a deep breath, she cut a large circle around the top of her pumpkin, removing the crown with some force. 

Glancing at the tools Leia had set out for her, she opted for the large wooden spoon first, scooping out the seeds and innards. 

Toasted pumpkin seeds were Rey’s favorite thing about fall. She loved to sprinkle brown sugar and curry on her seeds after they came out of the oven. Ben preferred them with just a little bit of salt, but Rey loved the spicy/sweet combo. Every year, she made two batches- one for each of them, but after she’d finished all of hers, Ben always gave her the rest of his.

Carefully, she placed gobs of the seeds in a Pyrex dish so she could toast them later. Surely that would cheer her up a bit. She wiped her hands on her jeans before pulling up the photo on her phone of her inspiration. She’d found a picture of a Starbucks cup carved into a pumpkin months ago, and fell in love with the idea of a Pumpkin Spiced Latte carved pumpkin.

It would be a challenge- especially with recreating the Starbucks logo, but she was up for it, and was glad she picked something that would require all of her attention. Surveying the picture and her tools, she wondered what she could use for those hard to carve spaces of the Siren. 

“Leia,” she called. “Do you have a pair of tweezers and like… a metal toothpick I could use? Or like a big, thick needle, maybe? Or like a seafood fork?”

“What in the actual hell are you carving over there?” Poe asked, causing everyone to laugh. She saw Ben chuckle out of the corner of her eye. 

“Mind your business, Dameron. You’ll see soon enough.”

“Do we want to see?” Finn asked and Rey rolled her eyes. 

“Han, can you go get Rey some tweezers and a metal cocktail pick?” Leia asked

“Huh?” Han asked. “Oh, yeah. What do you need for seafood?”

“Sounds like she needs it to _squash_ the competition,” Poe said obnoxiously. No one laughed. “Oh, come on, that was funny!”

“Poe, carve your pumpkin,” Leia told him. Everyone laughed at that.

Han shuffled off toward the house and Rey returned to her masterpiece-in-the-making, assessing her picture and drawing her outline with a fine-tip sharpie. Next to her, Ben covered his Pyrex dish full of pumpkin seeds and stepped toward her table, stacking his on top of hers. “I know they’re your favorite. I tried to save as many seeds as I could,” he said with a sad smile.

Rey thanked him as he returned to his own table. She closed her eyes and exhaled. 

_When Rey saw Ben’s name pop up on her vibrating phone the day after he’d walked out, part of her wanted to send it straight to voicemail. The pink heart emoji next to his name taunted her and she wanted it gone without having to go in and edit his name in her contacts herself. Wasn’t Siri supposed to handle things like that?_

_“Hi, Ben,” Rey answered the phone against her better judgement._

_“Rey,” he breathed, sounding relieved that she’d answered his call. “How- how are you?”_

_She didn’t answer immediately. How could she possibly answer that question? “I dunno,” she eventually replied before biting the inside of her lip._

_“Same,” he said unprovoked. “Um, listen-”_

_“Where did you sleep last night?” she interrupted him._

_“Luke’s,” Ben replied. “He’s out of town, I figured it was perfect, because I wouldn’t have to explain to anyone what- um... what happened.”_

_Rey closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. She made the conscious decision to not speak for the remainder of this call. She was going to take his advice and listen to him._

_“So, I’m calling because my mom’s pumpkin thing is on Saturday.” Shit, she’d completely forgotten about that. “And I haven’t told anyone what happened last night… have you?”_

_She hadn’t, but that was because she was hoping it was just another fight. That he’d come back after cooling off and apologize, then she’d apologize, then they’d both cry, and he’d fuck her slowly, taking care to kiss every inch of her like he always did after their heated arguments._

_But this time, it felt different._

_“No.”_

_“Okay, do you think… do you think we could put off telling people?” His voice broke on the other end. She could tell he wanted to say more from the tone in his voice, but he couldn’t finish it. Stubbornly, she didn’t want to give him that last inch. So she stayed silent, knowing he’d need to fill it eventually. After a moment, he did. “I just… it would crush my mother, and I don’t want to ruin her event. You know how much she loves it.” Still quiet, she willed the sting of tears behind her eyes to subside. “Rey?”_

_“Um… I just won’t go,” she said in one breath. “Tell her I got sick.”_

_He sighed. “You know she would reschedule to make sure you could be there.”_

_Clearly, Ben already considered that option. Rey put the call on mute long enough to take a deep breath in and release it. “Fine,” she said. “I won’t say anything.” She could hear him sigh on the other end, clearly relieved. “Are you… are you planning on coming home at all?”_

_More silence. “I do need to get some clothes and stuff. I might swing by later, but I’ll stay out of your way.”_

_“Okay,” Rey said quietly. That wasn’t what she meant. “Bye, Ben.”_

_She hung up before the sob she’d been holding in the back of her throat worked its way out of her mouth._

Han dropped a pair of tweezers and a metal cocktail pick down on Rey’s table. He threw in a silver seafood fork for good measure. “If you don’t use this on your pumpkin, you can jab this one if he gets lippy,” Han said with a wink, pointing to Ben. 

Rey smiled and thanked him, immediately reaching for the pick to punch a line of tiny holes into her pumpkin. While she kept mostly to herself, she noticed Ben was fairly quiet as well. The rest of the group laughed and swapped stories; meanwhile, the two of them remained hushed, focused on their projects. 

“Rey, this looks amazing!” Leia said, approaching her table. Rey smiled. “I know pumpkin spiced lattes are your favorite. Oh, speaking of which, you’ll have to let me know what desserts you want me to make for Thanksgiving this year. I know you love my pumpkin pie, but if you want that creme brulee again, let me know!”

Rey felt Ben’s head turn to their conversation and she smiled and nodded at Leia. “S-sure. I’ll let you know,” Rey replied quietly. 

“Just text me,” Leia said.

As soon as she walked away, Rey turned and looked at Ben. He frowned. Rey could feel her lower lip quiver, her ears starting to vibrate. Without warning, she threw her tiny saw down onto the table and took off toward the house, walking as swiftly as possible, tears stinging behind her eyes. Ben called her name but she refused to turn around, throwing open the French door and not allowing a single tear to fall until she’d made it to the bathroom. 

With the door shut and locked, she leaned up against the flat surface and slid down, burying her head in her arms. She already missed holidays with his family, and they hadn’t even happened yet. It was becoming more real- she was losing his family, too. 

Ben was Rey’s first real relationship but she knew how it worked- when one person wanted to break up, you broke up. But splitting up was hard enough already without having to deal with the pain of never wanting to in the first place.

And she couldn’t shake the part that haunted her the most- he’d _left_. 

“Rey!” a voice called from the hallway. “Rey, are you alright? It’s Rose.”

Rey sighed and scooted away from the door enough to open it, allowing Rose to squeeze through the tiny gap. “Rey, what happened?!” Rose asked, falling to the floor and wrapping her arms around her best friend. 

Rey’s entire body shook as she sobbed in Rose’s arms. It wasn’t just the breakup, it was the pent-up aggression she’d felt for a week for not being able to talk to anyone about it. She couldn’t even confide in her best friend, and it was starting to bubble over. 

“Hey,” Rose said, pulling away long enough to wipe Rey’s tears away. “What the hell is going on? Did you guys get into a fight this morning or something?”

“He broke up with me,” Rey said with a shrug. “Last week.”

“Last week?!”

“And he asked me not to tell anyone so we didn’t ruin Leia’s thing, and I agreed because I didn’t want to ruin her thing either but it’s killing me. This is killing me. Leia keeps talking to me as if we’re still together, and I just…”

Rose pulled her in closer and let her cry into her arm. She held Rey until her sobs subsided into managed cries. “Listen to me,” she said after a moment. “Why did you agree to do that? Rey, sometimes, you have to think of yourself. Do you want me to leave with you? We can go right now. You don’t need to put up with this, and if Leia knew, she wouldn’t want you here suffering either.”

Rey shook her head and wiped her tears into her palms. She sniffled sharply in a failed attempt to break up the congestion in her nose. “No, let’s just… I’ll be fine,” she promised. “I just… I already miss the fact that I won’t be here for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Like I miss holidays with them.” Shaking her head she whispered, “that doesn’t make sense.”

Rose nodded. “It does… and you’ll come spend those holidays with my family, okay?”

Rey took a deep breath. “I’ve wanted to talk to you every day about this. It’s been so hard- I can’t sleep. I called out of work yesterday because I’m just so drained. I feel pathetic.”

“Hey,” Rose said. “You are _not_ pathetic. You guys were together for a long time and you were in love. Rey, if anything, I think you’re handling this better than I could ever imagine- how have you not talked to _anyone_ about this?”

She shrugged and wiped at her nose with the back of her hand, sniffling. “On top of that, Ben’s been staying at his uncle’s place, so I’ve been alone all week.”

“Did you at least have a full wine fridge?”

Rey laughed at that. “Of course. You know Ben keeps that thing fully stocked.” Rose smiled sadly at her friend and Rey sighed. “We should go back out there. Thank you for listening to me.”

The girls stood up and Rey looked at herself in the mirror. She batted at her tears, and found a tissue to blow her nose into before they exited the bathroom. Ben walked in from outside, closing the French door behind him, and headed in their direction. Rose instinctively put herself between them. 

“You and I are going to have words, Solo,” Rose said, pointing her finger at him. 

“Can we talk?” Ben asked Rey, ignoring her best friend.

Rey swallowed. Rose looked at Rey and she nodded, so Rose headed outside after reminding Rey of her offer to leave at any point. Ben pulled her into his mother’s office just off the living room and closed the door behind him. 

He sighed. “Rey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you to do this.”

“No,” Rey said shortly. “You shouldn’t have. Because now I have your father teasing me about why I’m still with you, and your mother asking me what dessert I want for Thanksgiving and… and…” she could feel the tears coming again and she looked up as she pressed her fingers into her eyes. “You need to tell her.”

“I know, Rey. I know, it’s just-” 

“Okay, so what, then?” she cut him off. “Are we going to pretend to still be together for Thanksgiving? And then what? Sharing a bed at your parents’ house and fake cuddling on Christmas morning when we’re not even together anymore… is that what you have in mind?” Ben stared at her. “ _You_ broke up with _me_ , Ben. _You’re_ the one who ended us. _You_ left.” Her voice broke. “The least you can do is let me go.”

She headed out the door, slamming it behind her and pressing her palms to her eyes, willing her tears to go away. Rey dug through her purse until she found her sunglasses and popped them on her face before returning outside. 

Approaching her pumpkin, Rey took great care as she got back to work. Ben didn’t come back outside for several moments after she’d walked away and when he did, black sunglasses covered his own eyes that he hadn’t been wearing previously.

Great minds think alike. 

She worked on the details longer than she normally would have- shaving and shading. She groomed the edges of her carving meticulously, ensuring each cut was even and smooth. It was starting to look better than the picture she’d saved for inspiration, and she was rather proud to show off her work.

“First one done!” Poe exclaimed, throwing his tool onto the table.

Everyone sighed. “Why does he think he gets an award for being the first one done?” Hux asked.

“Every year,” Finn added, shaking his head.

“I am the Pump-King!” Poe declared.

Ben looked up. “You should have declared yourself the ‘Pun-King’.”

“Oh, that is better,” Poe admitted as Han walked around to each of the tables with a candle and torch lighter. Rey wasn’t finished, but she could still see Rose and Ben working as well, so she didn’t rush on the finishing touches. 

Once she was satisfied, she plopped her candle inside and pulled the trigger on her lighter a couple of times before dipping the stem into the pumpkin. Of course, when she needed the lighter to ignite, it refused to spark. Removing it, she shook it a couple of times in an attempt to get the lighter fluid moving. 

Rey held the pumpkin steady with her left hand and stood over the top of the opening, pulling the trigger on her lighter. A blast of orange and blue ignited inside the hollow pumpkin, a _whoosh_ emitting simultaneously. Rey gasped as she pulled her hand away from the opening but it was too late. The residual flame had caught the skin of her wrist, burning her, before disappearing quickly.

Pain seared through Rey’s arm, her skin scorched, feeling as though it was being ripped off of her body in a million different directions.

“Rey!” Ben shouted, walking towards her. “Are you alright? What happened?”

“I don’t know,” she panicked. “I was trying to light my candle and the flame blew up or something. It burned me, oh my god, this hurts so bad.” 

Rose ran over, observing Rey’s wrist as she held it with her opposite hand. “Come on, let’s go run it under some cool water.”

Ben watched as Rose guided Rey back towards the house, disappearing inside a second later. Rey’s wrist physically didn’t look too bad, but it felt like the worst sunburn she’d ever had was being held over a bonfire. Rose turned on the kitchen sink and positioned Rey’s arm, allowing the cool water to cascade over her skin. The pain spanned the majority of the inside of her wrist and the edges stung where the water couldn’t quite reach. 

This was exactly what she didn’t need on a day she was trying desperately to fly under the radar. Fortunately (or rather unfortunately), she was completely cried-out for the day; she’d reached the day’s tear maximum. 

Still, she sighed and closed her eyes, allowing the cool water to surge over her scorched skin. The French door opened and Ben entered the kitchen, asking how Rey was doing. To his credit, he did appear genuinely concerned, craning his neck to get a better look at Rey’s wrist. 

“She’s okay,” Rose said. “It probably hurts like hell, but the burn isn’t too bad.” 

“Rose is taking care of me,” Rey said before looking down into the sink and muttering, “I don’t need you, Ben.” 

He clicked his tongue at her statement, staring at her injury for a second longer. Eventually, he nodded in understanding, and turned around, heading back outside. 

After another minute or so under the cool water, Rey toweled off her arm gently, the pain having subsided a bit. She was grateful for the reprieve as they wandered back outside. “Quick, hide the lighters!” Poe exclaimed and Rey scowled at him. 

“Are you alright, dear?” Leia asked.

Rey held her hand up and forced a smile. “I’m okay, I’m okay! Just a minor set back!”

“Well, I think we should have Ben light your pumpkin for you,” Leia said. 

“No, that’s okay,” Rey said quickly. “He’s not allowed to see it before the reveal anyway.”

She ultimately agreed to let Han light it for her, and stood next to him so she could turn it. 

The eight of them walked from table to table, observing everyone’s work. The rule was- everyone had to vote, but you couldn’t vote for your pumpkin. Winner got a $100 gift card to the restaurant of their choice. That’s how it had been since their first pumpkin party freshman year of college. 

Of course, Ben and Rey hadn’t gotten together until after graduating, keeping their feelings for one another repressed through the years. Still, eight pumpkin parties, many impressive carvings, and hilarious mishaps later, the rules and reward remained the same.

“Alright…” Han said, a slip of paper in his hand with the winner’s name on it. “You all voted- so don’t kill the messenger. The winner of the Annual Organa-Solo Pumpkin Carving competition is… Finn! For his impressive rendition of the Cheshire Cat.”

“Woo! Let’s go!” Finn shouted as he hugged Poe, slapping him on the back.

Rey laughed, slightly disappointed, but mostly relieved. She didn’t think she could handle it if Ben had won and chosen a giftcard to their favorite restaurant. The pain in her wrist started to creep back in, the burning sensation returning, sharper than ever. It felt like her skin was being stretched, hot coils torturing her relentlessly. She grimaced as she expanded her fingers and clenched her fist, trying to shake the pain.

She could feel Ben staring at her, but she ignored him, focusing on the pain, and desperately willing it to go away. 

_\--_

After dinner, they drove out of Ben’s parents’ neighborhood mostly in silence. With her pumpkin in her lap, Rey stared down at her wrist and surveyed the damage. Her skin was red, splotchy, and tingling; it felt worse than a sunburn- more like a boiling ache. 

“How are you feeling?” Ben asked, shaking her from her thoughts. He took his eyes off the road for just a second to look down at her as she cradled her wrist. 

“It’s weird,” Rey said. He raised an eyebrow, a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth at her word choice. “Cause sometimes it really hurts, like some of the worst pain I’ve ever felt, and then it just fades away and it feels fine, but then the pain comes back, you know? Like, how long will I go on like this… not knowing when the pain will go away and come back?”

Ben laughed at her and she looked at him incredulously. “Rey, I’m sorry you’re hurt, that was terrifying. But you’re so dramatic about it- I don’t know how you’ll ever go on!” He put the back of his hand to his forehead and sighed, causing Rey to smile. He looked over at her and she cracked- bursting into a fit of giggles.

“You asked, I was just telling you,” Rey said, still laughing. 

“I know, I know, I was just teasing, Sweetheart,” Ben said. They both stopped laughing at the drop of his old nickname for her. He cleared his throat as he adjusted his grip on the steering wheel and she shifted in her seat, averting her gaze to look out the window, his pet name for her lingering between them like cigarette smoke in an old sofa. 

They drove in silence for the remainder of the 45 minute drive. Ben took the turn into their apartment complex a little slower than usual, his pivot into his parking spot even less timely. Putting the car in park, he sighed.

“Thank you,” Rey said quietly, unbuckling her seatbelt. “For the ride.”

Ben nodded. “Of course. Thank you for… going along with everything today. I’m so sorry, I didn’t think it through. It was pretty rough.”

“It was really rough, Ben,” she agreed immediately. 

Nodding, he put his hand on the key in the ignition, and looked at her. “Would you mind if I came up for a minute?”

“It’s your apartment, too,” she reminded him with a shrug as she opened the car door and stepped out with her pumpkin in her hands. 

Ben followed her up the stairs to their second floor apartment and waited for her to unlock the door. Wordlessly, he placed the containers of pumpkin seeds on the kitchen island and walked straight back to their bedroom. Rey figured he was packing up some clothes to take to Luke’s. She placed her pumpkin on the island and turned it to face the living room so she could admire her work as she sat alone later, watching a reality tv show Ben used to complain about. 

Lingering in the kitchen, she retrieved a clear glass bowl from the cupboard and filled it with ice cubes, removing one and gently rubbing it along her burn. The ice soothed her singed skin as she dragged it up and down the length of her forearm, from the edge of her wrist up halfway to her elbow.

Looking up as Ben emerged from their bedroom, she glanced at the duffel bag in his hand, and quickly looked away. Rey focused on her wrist, on the melting ice, on the single clean plate and lone fork in the sink’s dryer rack. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears as he approached, but stood with the kitchen island between them. 

“I don’t think you should apply ice directly to a burn like that,” he said. She laughed incredulously and looked at him. “I’m not trying to correct you, Rey, I just… you know what, nevermind.”

Rey felt guilty, especially since he was probably just looking out for her. He turned to leave. “What should I do, Ben?” she asked quietly. He stopped. “For the burn, I mean. What should I do instead? Because I’ll be honest, this feels amazing.”

Ben dropped his duffel bag onto the floor and removed his phone from his back pocket. “I’m not sure, let’s google it.” 

She could have made a comment about how he told her not to do something without knowing the correct procedure, but she didn’t. He stuck his tongue out between his lips as he concentrated on his cell phone screen, scrolling up and down and clicking on pages. “Okay, so it says to run it under cool- not cold- water, apply lotion, bandage it…”

“But the ice feels so good,” Rey said. 

He rounded the island and stepped near her; close enough where he could easily take her forearm in his hand and inspect the burn on her wrist. “It doesn’t look too severe,” he observed. “If the ice feels good, I doubt it will kill you.”

She swallowed as she looked up at him. His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. She could smell his cologne, the one she bought for him for Christmas. She wondered if he thought of her every day when he put it on. 

She wondered what he was thinking about at that moment.

Was he thinking about all the times they cooked together in this kitchen? Or all the meals they’d burnt getting too distracted by one another and losing track of time? When he swallowed, was he getting nervous, remembering all the times he’d bent her over the kitchen island and taken her from behind, or all the times he lifted her onto the edge of the counter and ate her out on his knees until she nearly cried. 

Rey was getting warm thinking about it. She wanted to ask him to stay. She would give anything for him to but if she asked him and he denied her, it would kill her. 

“Have um… have you been watching ‘Dark’ at all?” Ben asked, taking a step back. 

She shook her head. “No.”

That was a show they watched together. It’s not like she could just casually watch it without him. She was mad at him, sure, but watching a show they watched together- that was blasphemy. 

“Yeah, neither have I,” he said. Rey was exceptionally relieved at his confession. “Would you wanna watch one? I think we were on the penultimate episode.”

“Okay,” she said cautiously. “Wine?”

“Yeah, grab one of the cabs, I bought too many the other week.”

Her heart pounded as he walked into the living room and fiddled with the remote. Rey grabbed two wine glasses from the cabinet and opened the bottom door of their dual-zone wine fridge. 

It all felt so ordinary as she handed his glass to him and he paused the show on the title screen until she was ready. He sat down first and she stopped in her tracks before taking a step back and sitting with a noticeable amount of space between them. 

Normally, she would drape her legs over his lap or cuddle into his side. But she wasn’t allowed to do that anymore. 

Normally, a duffel bag full of Ben’s clothes wasn’t sitting on the floor in their line of sight taunting her, reminding her that he’d be sleeping elsewhere after the episode. 

She placed her bowl of ice on the coffee table in front of her and held her wine glass with her burnt arm, pressing an ice cube to her stinging wrist with her free hand. 

After 15 minutes or so, Rey tossed the half-melted ice cube into the bowl and looked over at Ben once she’d felt him staring at her. “Is the worst pain you’ve ever felt gone, and now it feels fine?” he teased. 

Rey laughed and swiped him gently on the arm. “As a matter of fact, yes, it’s not hurting currently, but I’m sure it will be soon enough. It feels really tight right now. It’s a vicious cycle, Ben.”

Chuckling, he said, “I’m sure it is.” 

He took a long sip of wine and she laughed. 

The duffel bag laughed harder.

Another 15 minutes passed; Ben hopped up off the couch to grab the open bottle of wine and refill their glasses. He sat back down and Rey couldn’t help but notice he sat significantly closer to her. 

She chewed on the inside of her lip while she tried to pay attention to the show, she needed to read the subtitles, since the show was in German, but she couldn’t focus. While her heart panicked beneath her rib cage, her brain told her this was normal, and real, and good. Although Rey had sat on that couch with Ben a million times, glass of wine in hand, latest Netflix binge on the TV, it had never meant more than it did that night. 

Without thinking, Rey placed her hand on Ben’s thigh for leverage as she leaned forward and grabbed a piece of ice from her bowl. She muttered a quick apology as she removed her hand from his leg and used it to hold the ice to her burn. 

She slid it up and down gently, coating her wound with a sheen of freezing water, finding temporary relief from her efforts. The cube had mostly melted against her hot skin and, noticing, Ben placed his wine glass on the coffee table, and grabbed a Fresh ice cube from the bowl. 

Rey watched as he took what was left of the melted cube from her and tossed it into the bowl before pressing the fresh ice gently to her skin. Her breath hitched in her throat as he cradled the underside of her forearm delicately in his other hand and glided the ice up and down with the same pressure and consistency that she had been. 

For the most part, his attention was on the show as he mindlessly moved his hand back and forth, his fingertips grazing her skin gently. She moaned softly and prayed he didn’t hear her. 

She wondered if he was having as much difficulty reading the subtitles. 

All Rey could focus on was how gentle his large hands were, and how the entire length of her forearm nearly fit in his palm. She failed to recognize the end of the episode and she was only shaken from her thoughts as his deep voice sounded in her ears. 

“What?” she asked. 

“I just asked if you wanted to watch the next one,” Ben said. “It’s the finale.”

“Oh,” she breathed, looking at him. His hand slowed and his eyes were in motion- dropping from her eyes to her lips. “Um, s-sure.” She paused. And then, “why are you here, Ben?”

"I don't know," he admitted. "I haven’t been able to think of anything but you all week. And then seeing you today..." 

He stared into her eyes, and she was surprised by his honesty. Ben’s eyes fell to her lips, her collar bones, her breasts, and her hips, before they met hers, his gaze unapologetic. 

She studied his eyelashes, the twinge of purple beneath his lower lash line reminding her he hadn't been sleeping, that this was difficult for him, too. His irises were dark and his cheeks were pink- whether it was from the wine or being in her presence, she wasn't sure.

“Don’t look at me like that if this is just for tonight,” Rey warned him, her voice quiet but stern.

“It’s not,” he promised.

She licked her lips. “Then don’t look at me like that if you’re not going to do anything about it.”

In one motion, Ben threw the mostly melted ice cube into the bowl, and rounded his body to take the side of her face in his cold hand, bringing her lips to his. His fingertips were numbing on her jaw and neck, and Rey wasn’t sure if that was from the ice, or the hope that lay beneath his touch. 

Whimpering, she placed her hand on his thigh for balance and kissed him back with everything she had, desperate for him to know that this is what she wanted- for him to kiss her, for him to love her… for him to stay. 

He tore his lips off hers for just a moment to take the wine glass out of her hand that she forgot she was holding, and place it on the coffee table. He then leaned into her, forcing her onto her back, and held himself over her as he continued to kiss her. Their lips stayed connected as she repositioned her legs, opening them as best she could. With one leg bent against the back of the couch, and the other splayed open, he settled in on top of her.

Needing more, Rey tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling his face closer to hers as her tongue slipped past her teeth and lips into his own mouth. His grunt above her was feral as his own tongue battled hers.

He pressed her further into the couch as his hips and chest lowered, and his weight felt so good on her, so familiar, she couldn’t help but moan. Wrapping her leg around his waist, Rey kissed him harder, pushing her entire body into his, forcing him to believe that she needed this. 

“Rey,” he breathed, pulling his lips off of hers to plant tiny kisses along her jawline and down to her neck. “I missed you so much,” he mumbled against her skin before kissing her there. He tugged her sweater to the side and sucked at the junction between her neck and shoulder, relishing in her freshly exposed flesh. "I'm sorry I left," he muttered between kisses, "I'm so sorry for everything, Rey."

“Me too,” she admitted. “Truly.” She ground her hips into his and he growled in response, his hands already at the hem of her shirt, tugging it up. He pulled her up just long enough to pull her sweater off of her, and toss it to the floor. Before lowering her, he unhooked her bra and tossed it aside as well. He kissed down her collar bones as he lay her back down onto the couch. 

His hand found her breast almost immediately, squeezing and massaging it as he used his other hand to hold himself over her. Rey arched her back pushing her chest into him, “Ben,” she whined. “Don’t stop.”

His weight on top of her made her feel so safe, so warm, so loved as she lay between his supportive arms and beneath his massive chest. She reached for the hem of his shirt, needing to feel his skin against hers. He helped her tug it off and it joined the growing pile of clothes on their living room floor. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she brought their lips together again, pressing her chest into his, reveling in his warmth. 

So happy to be tasting the wine on his lips and tongue, she couldn’t help but giggle into their kiss, causing him to smile as well. He let out a small laugh, pulling his lips from hers and looking down at her. Rey bit her lip, looking into his eyes, taking in his flushed cheeks and swollen lips.

Maintaining eye contact, his hand left her breast and slid down her rib cage, over her stomach, and landed on the waistband of her pants. From between her legs, he worked the button and zipper of her jeans, pulling them down her legs, along with her underwear. The muscles in his arms and chest glistened, reflecting whatever moonlight managed to creep its way into the room. 

Ben pushed her pants as far as they would go and she kicked them the rest of the way off. He looked between them, taking in her naked body beneath him and he shook his head. “I missed you so much, Rey. I’m an idiot.” 

She laughed and cupped his face in her hand. “I missed you, Ben.”

“You have no idea how much,” he breathed, the backs of his fingertips trailing up the side of her body, a trail of goosebumps following in their wake.

“Show me,” she whispered. 

Ben sat back on his heels between her legs. He smirked down at her as he reached into the bowl on the coffee table and plucked one of the ice cubes, leaning over her carefully. Ben held it between two fingers. It hovered over her hot skin, a chilling droplet of water dripped off the tip of the cube onto her throat. 

Watching his face laced with concentration, she arched her back involuntarily in anticipation, unsure of where he would touch her next. Lowering the cube to her skin, he dragged it down the length of her collarbone slowly, leaving a shallow river of cold moisture in its path. Rey bit her bottom lip and watched as he drew a frozen line between her tits before veering off to the right, rounding the underside curve of her breast with the ice. 

Chills raked through her body at the touch, and she inhaled sharply as he rounded the outer side, swirling its circumference until he reached her nipple with the cube. It was already hard, pert, begging for his mouth, and instead, he circled the rosy bud with the ice, and smirked down at her. 

“Ben,” she whispered as he dragged the ice cube to the other side and raised goosebumps as he repeated his motions, never lifting it off her skin. Her already pebbled nipples ached as they hardened even more and he took a finger, following the icy trail he’d left behind, making a perfect figure-eight over her chest.

As one finger traced the swells of her breasts, she arched her back into his touch again, desperate for more than just a touch of one fingertip. The ice melted rapidly between his fingers, so he swapped it out with a fresh one and picked up where he left off.

The new cube started at the top of her sternum and trailed down the valley between her breasts. She’d never felt warmth from ice like she did when Ben’s finger followed in its wake down the center of her abdomen to her stomach. Her muscles contracted under his touch, her stomach naturally hollowing out as he circled her bellybutton. Her hips canted. 

Ben dragged the ice along one of her hip bones in response, and followed that trail with his tongue. Rey moaned audibly at his actions, and he repeated them on the other side. 

He locked eyes with her as he pulled the ice cube down over her pelvic bone. Her breath hitched in her throat as her eyes fell shut and she gave in to the feel of the ice cube tracing the junction where her inner thigh met her center. 

She clenched at the sensation of the frozen cube as it danced up one of her lower lips and down the other. Pushing her back into the couch, she thrust her hips toward him, encouraging him to do something, anything, other than tease her. 

Just when she was about to protest, his warm tongue licked a perfect stripe up her slit, and she cried out. His tongue was a hot juxtaposition against the freezing trails the ice had left on her skin. She could feel his heavy breaths on her now dripping cunt. 

“Be-” sta started, her voice getting caught in her throat. 

“Say it,” he demanded. “Say my name.”

“Bennnnn,” she moaned. “Please.”

“Fuck, I missed you,” Ben breathed, ditching the ice cube and flattening his tongue as he licked her again. “You taste so good. So good.”

Rey moaned as he positioned her hips how he wanted them before diving back in, his tongue inside of her, his nose nudging her clit. It wouldn’t take her long, she knew; it had been a week since she’d had him, and the ice play did more for her than she ever thought it would.

She looked down to find his mop of hair tickling her as his hands clutched the tops of her thighs, holding her in place while he laped, licked, and sucked at her. His eyes were closed in concentration, the vibrations from his lips tormenting her. 

Rey gasped as his lips wrapped around her clit, sucking at it roughly, as he opened his eyes and made eye contact with her over the curves of her body. “Ben,” she cried, her hips thrusting into his face. He steadied her with his left hand on her hip and brought his right hand to her center, inserting one finger inside of her to start. 

“So tight,” he breathed before working a second finger in, his mouth continuing to work her clit. 

Her heels dug into the couch cushions as her back arched and pressed into his hand. She could feel her climax growing, mounting, climbing, and then Ben curled his fingers inside of her, hitting her g-spot, and she exploded into a million tiny pieces of pleasure, love, regret, forgiveness, and want. 

Ben’s tongue kept its steady, rhythmic pace until he felt her entire body tense, paralyzing her for just a moment. Maybe they were words that tumbled out of her mouth as she came, but Ben was less concerned with deciphering that, and focused all of his energy on riding out the waves of her orgasm with her. She thrust her hips into his face and sensation after sensation crashed over her. His tongue had let up slightly, but he needed to apply pressure with his hand on her hip to keep her down.

Lazily working his fingers in and out of her, he let her calm down. His lips left a trail of tiny kisses along the inside of each of her thighs. 

“Ben,” she whined after a moment, grabbing at his shoulders to pull him up. His mouth was glistening with her slick as he stopped halfway and covered one of her breasts with his lips. Flicking his tongue out against one nipple, and rolling the other between his soaked fingers, he made her tits taste like her pussy, and then sucked greedily, looking up at her as he ravaged them. “Oh my- fuck!” 

Entire body on alert, she nearly launched herself off of the couch as he took one nipple between his teeth and tugged at it, a jolt of electricity sparking from his incisors and lighting a fuse that traveled through her chest, and belly, down to her clenching center, so desperate to be filled.

With her fingers tangled in his hair, she could feel as he started to pull away from her, his body descending as his head found its way perfectly aligned between her thighs again. “Ben,” she moaned as he thrust his tongue into her again, fucking her with his mouth with even more desperation than before.

She was so sensitive that it didn’t take her long to come the second time, and after her orgasm ravaged her body, he planted tiny, wet kisses along her inner-thighs. “Rey,” he breathed against the skin of her leg.

Reaching for him, she used what little strength she had to nudge him back up her body. His wet mouth licked and kissed its way over her ticklish stomach, causing her to giggle, before he licked a stripe up the dip between her breasts. He pecked a trail of kisses up her sternum before licking her throat, leaving more than just saliva behind as his tongue painted her skin with her own arousal.

He wiped at his mouth before adjusting himself between her legs, and she tangled her hands in his hair as he kissed her. She could taste herself on his lips and tongue as it entered her mouth, meeting hers in a familiar way. “I’m sorry, too,” she whispered as she reached down between them and tugged at his belt. 

Her fingers worked the button on his jeans and pulled the zipper down. He smirked as he watched her work. Rey smiled as she simultaneously pushed his jeans and boxer briefs down as far as she could reach with him on top of her, and when he sat up to remove them completely, she couldn’t wait for him. 

Sitting up, she pushed him back against the cushion, standing up off the couch and looking down at him. His tousled hair and swollen lips sent a surge of arousal through her as she dropped to her knees in front of him.

Maintaining eye contact, she licked the entire underside of his cock, swirling her tongue around the head and cleaning up the precum that had leaked from the tip. He groaned and let his head fall back as she took more of him into her mouth. She moaned as he quickly hit the back of her throat, and pulled back before bobbing down on him again, hollowing out her cheeks and looking up at him.

“Fuck, Rey,” he breathed as he watched her. 

She closed her eyes, using her hand as an extension of her mouth and worked him that way, her tongue pressing into him. All too soon, she felt his massive hand wrap around her arm, just below her shoulder and she opened her eyes, letting him fall out of her mouth. 

“This isn’t gonna last if you keep that up,” he told her before pulling her up. 

Placing a hand on the back of the couch near his head, she balanced herself as she crawled onto his lap and straddled him. “Well, let’s make up, then,” she said, and he wrapped a hand around the back of her neck, tugging on her hair beneath his fingers as he pulled her face to his and kissed her. 

His other hand was between them, positioning his cock for her and she circled her hips until he’d lined them up perfectly. Rey lowered her hips, and took just the tip of him in, pulling her lips from his and looking into his eyes as she dropped down painstakingly slowly, taking him in inch by inch. “Ben,” she whined, missing how he stretched her. 

That familiar sharpness spread throughout her as she clenched her walls around him, the pain expediting her pleasure as he buried his face between her breasts. 

He felt so good, she felt so full, it felt so familiar… together, it felt so right. 

“You feel so good, Rey. You’re so tight for me, fuck. You’re so gorgeous,” he praised, earning a moan from her. “So perfect. You always take me so well.”

He groaned beneath her, nipping at her breast beneath her nipple and sucking on her there. Rey let her head fall back as he bit a bruise into her skin. She hadn’t even started moving her hips, and much to her surprise, neither had he, but she took the side of his face in one hand and pulled his head up, looking into his eyes. She loved their height difference when she was on top; she couldn’t get enough of seeing him, feeling him from that angle. 

He gripped her hip, securing her lower back as he moved his body away from the back of the couch, scooting them closer to the edge. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he kissed her. The new placement allowed him to fill her even more, and gave him some leverage to thrust up into her. 

Rey moaned, her head falling back, her hands digging into his biceps. Ben licked the entire length of her throat, and used his free hand to grip her hip, his long fingers harrowing into her ass. When she looked down at him, she had to bite her lip from the concentration stitched into his features, his eyes watching her tits bounce as she rode him; he growled.

She had a fairly steady rhythm going when he released her hip and brought his hand between them, his thumb attempting to keep pace with her clit as she rolled her hips into his. “Ben, yes!” she cried out, falling forward and burying her face in his neck. He kept up his pace, thrusting up into her, and working his thumb furiously across her clit, desperate to push her over the edge before he tumbled himself. 

“Fuck, you feel so good. Come for me, Rey,” he whispered in her ear. “I love you so much. You’re so beautiful, you’re so perfect, I wanna hear you say my name when you come. I wanna see your face.”

His words pushed her over, because she lifted her head up just enough so that he could see her face as her eyes squeezed shut, and her mouth fell open, his name falling from between her lips as her cunt clenched around him and she ground herself into his hand, onto his dick.

“Fuck, Rey,” he grunted, placing both hands on her hips and pushing up into her, forcing her body down on him. He pumped and twitched into her as his own release raked through his body and into hers.

Rey kissed his neck, and nibbled at his earlobe, her fingertips lightly stroking the length of his back as he panted against her shoulder, his teeth grazing her skin. “I love you,” he said, looking up at her, still out of breath. “Be mine. Please.”

She cupped his face in both of her hands. “I could never be anything else.”

They kissed while he softened inside of her, but she didn’t move off of him, and he didn’t attempt to move her either. “I am sorry, Rey,” he said once he’d pulled his lips off of hers and looked into her eyes. “For everything.”

“I’m sorry, too, Ben,” she replied. “Just… please don’t leave ever again. Please.”

He sighed, stroking her hair. “Rey, I am sorry for everything we fought about, but I will _never_ for the rest of my life, regret anything more than leaving you that night. There is no excuse. None. And if you’ll have me, I swear to you, that I will never, under any circumstance, leave again.”

She nodded, feeling the sting of tears behind her eyes. In order to push that feeling away, she pressed her lips to his, her nose squished against his cheek as he devoured her lips. Rey felt tiny rivers of wetness trapped between their faces, and she wasn’t sure if they were her tears or his.

She didn’t care. 

ONE YEAR LATER

“First one done!” Poe exclaimed, throwing his tiny saw on the table and backing away. 

“Once again, Dameron, there’s no award for being the first one done!” Hux exclaimed, causing the group to laugh. 

Poe rolled his eyes as he walked over to the cooler to grab a fresh beer, his journey ending next to Ben’s table. “Whatever. You’re just jealous because I’m done. And now I can sit back, and relax, and wait for you all to vote for my pumpkin to win.” He popped the top off of his beer and took a sip. Stepping behind Ben’s table, he said, “I mean look at my man, Solo, over here. He is like _into_ this year’s carving and who knows… maybe we’re in cahoots!”

“What do you mean you’re in cahoots?” Leia asked.

Poe shrugged as Ben rolled his eyes. “We’re… we’re really not,” Ben stammered. “I just asked Poe to… compliment my pumpkin.”

“We’re like two pumpkins in a patch, Ben and I,” Poe said.

Rey stood up straight and looked around. “Do Finn and I need to be concerned?” she asked, pointing between Ben and Poe.

Everyone laughed at her question.

Rey couldn’t be bothered with what they were up to as she brushed away a few strings from her most recent cut.

Poe stood protectively next to Ben’s table, pointing things out and helping him shave pieces away. He would shoo anyone who got close and the rest of the group was growing suspicious of Poe’s new role as Ben’s pumpkin’s bodyguard. 

Poe demanded his pumpkin be revealed last, Ben’s second to last.

One by one, they all shared their creations- Hux first, followed by Rose, Finn, Leia, and Rey, oohing and ahhing, laughing and sharing compliments. 

But what everyone had been waiting for was Ben and Poe’s reveal. Since Poe demanded Ben have the penultimate reveal, the pressure was on. With all eyes on him, Ben took a deep breath and abandoned his table, walking toward Rey. 

She was _so_ confused.

“What the heck is going on? Man, it’s always something at this pumpkin carving, I swear,” Finn commented behind her. “This better be good, Solo.”

Rey turned to look at Finn and laughed. 

Leia gasped audibly.

When Rey turned back around, she wasn’t sure what registered first- Ben’s pumpkin, as Poe started spinning it, or the _lack_ of Ben, no longer standing in front of her.

Instead, he was on one knee at her feet. Poe rotated Ben’s pumpkin around fully and before Rey could ask Ben what he was doing, she looked at his art work and read “Will You Marry Me?” carved into the pumpkin, along with a diamond ring etched into the orange skin and two linked rings off to the side.

Rey put her hand to her mouth and looked down at Ben, who’d since produced an opened ring box, a stunning diamond ring shining out from the crimson box. She couldn’t hear Rose scream behind her, or Finn’s laughter, or the string of squeals emitting from Leia, because all she could hear was Ben’s deep voice, “Rey, will you marry me?”

She let out a laugh and a squeal, and nodded furiously, bending down to wrap her arms around his neck. Ben wrapped his own arms around her back and stood up with her clinging to him, lifting her up off the ground. Her legs were bent at the knees, her toes pointed out as he twirled her once, pressing his lips to hers as he set her down. 

He showed her the ring again, so proud of the months of research he’d done, and the days he spent searching for the perfect diamond to present to her. Rey smiled as wide as the sun as she gave him her left hand and with a shaking attempt, he slipped the ring onto her finger. They kissed again, briefly, before they were bombarded by their friends and Ben’s parents. 

\--

“You know what’s funny?” Rey asked later that night in their bed, her head resting on his bare chest. She gazed longingly at the ring on her finger, staring into the facets and attempting to count the lights that bounced off its surface. Ben kissed the side of her head and looked at her with an eyebrow raised. “Both last year’s pumpkin carving party and this year’s ended with ice.”

Ben rolled his eyes at her words so hard, she _heard_ it, and she burst into a fit of laughter a second later. “That’s it,” he said. “Give me the ring back. I’m calling this thing off.”

Rey squealed as she tried to escape him, laughing hysterically as he climbed on top of her, pinning her down. He was smiling wider than she’d ever seen him as he looked into her eyes. “I love you,” he said before kissing her.

“I love you, too,” she whispered back, cupping his face gently with her hand, and in the corner of the room, Ben’s proposal pumpkin sat on its own small table, the candle inside flickering, lighting up his question. 

Next to it, the pumpkin carved by Poe, Ben’s partner in crime, and confirmed best man. The candle nestled inside that pumpkin flickered as well, illuminating the notches representing confetti, and the curvy hearts carved all around the words, ‘She said YES!’ 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed my contribution to the Reylo Readers & Writers Spooktacaular Collection... because I love Halloween SO much, I have another story dropping on Saturday for the Horror Movies prompt!
> 
> Friendly reminder- be careful pumpkin carving, y’all! 
> 
> Say hi on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/UHadMeAt_Reylo)
> 
> Thank you, [The Fanciful Unicorn](https://twitter.com/unicornthefncfl) for being my sounding board during this chaos of a writing project! I appreciate youuu :)


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